10 Milk Thistle uses and How Milk Thistle May Bless You – On my journey to better health through natural products, I recently discovered the uses of milk thistle. In holistic formularies, you may see it referred to as “blessed thistle” and even its Latin name, Silybum marianum, refers to the origin of this nickname, a story in which Jesus’ mother, Mary, was nursing her baby and a bit of her milk fell onto a nearby aster flower. Milk thistle is a type of aster with a purple cone-like flower and spiky leaves. Milk thistle is an annual and grows in nearly every part of the world.
Silymarin, the active agent in milk thistle, is both an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. It’s this component of the herb that does the work, and work it does! Kids may prefer the tea over the caplets, especially if they don’t like taking pills yet. Both formulations are effective.
1. Seasonal Allergies. Hay fever strikes our household in the spring and the fall. We battle back with the most natural methods available. One of them is milk thistle tea.
2. Diabetes. Those with oxidative stress common to diabetes will benefit from using milk thistle. It has also been shown to have positive effects on controlling blood sugar. It appears to aid in insulin resistance which is a common marker in Type II diabetes.
3. Liver function. Milk thistle is a common ingredient in liver cleanse formulations. Silymarin prevents certain toxins from binding to liver cells through its work as an antioxidant and has been tested on cirrhosis patients.
4. Hepatitis C. Some research suggests that hep C patients respond to treatment better with milk thistle as an adjunct therapy.
5. Gallbladder. As with the liver, the nearby gallbladder functions better with the support of silymarin. The entire blood cleansing system is a benefactor.
6. Fatty liver disease. On the rise and potentially life-threatening, fatty liver disease is still poorly understood. Some causes include obesity and high alcohol consumption or diseases which otherwise impact fat metabolism in the body. Pockets of triglyceride fats build up and get stuck in liver tissue, seriously jeopardizing liver function and overall health. Milk thistle along with other liver-support herbs and extracts may help in easing the liver’s workload and reversing fatty liver disease .
7. Chemo coping. Chemotherapy takes a tremendous toll on the immune system and liver, where the drugs are processed and hurried out of the body. Milk thistle may be an important component in battling cancer by keeping the patient as strong as possible.
8. Detox cleanse. Look for milk thistle in detox and cleanse products. This herb along with other extracts such as dandelion can bring the body back into proper balance.
9. Breast milk. Nursing mothers often reach for tea including fenugreek and milk thistle to support their milk supply.
10. Heart disease. Milk thistle helps reduce cholesterol and may, therefore, lower the risk of heart disease.
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